"Teacher Bai Ling—how are you running so fast?"
"…If I don't move faster, doesn't that just slow down how quickly we solve the problem?"
Bai Ling turned his head at Chen Qianyu's voice and saw the scene behind him: the little wolf pup practically glued to the Administrator's side; Chen Qianyu and Perlica walking together.
"This whole trip has been so easy! We barely had to deal with anything. I'm almost getting careless."
Forget raiders or dangerous zones— even the Erosion felt like someone had turned on cheats and hit "auto-clear."
From the mountain path by the Originium Research Institute all the way to the Ore Vein Source Zone, they'd run into almost no trouble at all.
"…If you didn't have an easy time," Bai Ling said, "wouldn't that mean we did nothing?"
"Mr. Bai Ling… you've really been taking care of us too much…"
They were supposed to be the Endfield crisis response team, yet every dangerous task had ended up handled by someone else.
The little penguin wanted to say something too, but with the wolf pup clinging to her, she ultimately didn't manage to get any words out.
"About the Ore Vein Source Zone," Perlica said, "I actually had some intel I was about to send you."
After giving a brief rundown of the situation, she lowered her head, thinking. The Administrator, meanwhile, looked at the Originium saplings in front of them… and at the towering Cradle of Generations on the horizon—
And for a moment, a flicker of memory sparked in her mind.
…I think I really did plant these.
But that wasn't the most important thing anymore.
If what Bai Ling had just said was correct—
BOOOOM—
A massive rolling roar surged through the air as shockwaves carried the sound like a tidal swell.
Perlica, still lost in thought, hadn't even had time to voice her question before the entire world began to stir.
"This is— the anchor points are becoming active!!!"
The sky was swallowed by a swarm-like haze, and at the same time Fiona—Di Jiang's liaison—came through on a synced broadcast.
"…The Ore Vein Source Zone is showing a huge spike in angel signals! Multiple locations inside the camp are under angel attack!!!"
In an instant, cries for help erupted everywhere.
Perlica and Chen Qianyu moved first—along with the Administrator, weapons raised—charging straight into the camp. Even the wolf pup threw herself into the fight.
Within minutes, they'd carved out a barely-safe zone.
Perlica swung her staff again, barely smashing one angel unconscious, worry creeping onto her face.
"This can't go on… We have to deal with the anchor points."
"But if nobody holds the line here," Chen Qianyu started, "then the workers—"
Before she could finish, Eldera's gentle voice cut in.
"Leave it to me, everyone."
"And me too!" the wolf pup chimed in, voice full of vigor.
Her blade flashed—three quick slashes, and several angels dropped.
Any angel that tried to exploit her blind spots was ruthlessly knocked back by Eldera. The two had never fought together before, yet their coordination was seamless, like they'd trained for it.
"Then we're counting on you!" Perlica said.
As the others left, the angels didn't thin out at all—if anything, they poured into the camp like a plague of locusts.
Just then, several gunshots cracked through the chaos, blowing open a few angels' skulls and easing the pressure on the pair.
The wolf pup had only just steadied herself when she heard a voice behind her—her older brother's—and her whole body jolted.
"…Does the Administrator know you snuck into Valley Four?"
Eldera smiled as if to soothe her.
"Don't worry. The Administrator will probably like you a lot, Miss Rosina."
"Mm-hm! Mm-hm!" Rosina nodded furiously, tail practically wagging in her posture.
Meanwhile, beyond the quarantine gate, things weren't going well at all.
The awakened anchor points had ravaged the entire isolated zone. Rubble covered the ground. Cracks yawned open where a misstep could mean a fatal fall. And worst of all, the shockwaves—terrible, crushing—rolled through the area.
Even behind cover, merely feeling the energy vibrations was enough to overwhelm the body.
And the shockwaves had no rhythm, no warning. Like a sword of Damocles hanging over everyone's heads, threatening to drop at any moment.
"With things like this…" Chen Qianyu stared at the anchor point still hundreds of meters away, "…how are we supposed to handle it?!"
Those few hundred meters were nearly bare—because anything that might've served as cover had already been flattened by the anchor point's waves.
"…This way," Bai Ling said.
His voice was calm and sharp. His gaze snapped to an Originium sapling that had only just sprouted through the soil.
The others, conditioned to follow directions, shifted positions immediately.
They had barely reached the sapling when—
A blood-red shockwave tore past with a roar, the sound slamming into them like a wall.
Chen Qianyu reflexively stepped to the very front, shielding Bai Ling and the little penguin behind her. She raised her twin blades to block—
And realized… she wasn't hurt at all.
When she opened her eyes, a pale yellow, shimmering barrier was enveloping them. She turned to look at the others, and then noticed something strange about the Administrator's hand.
"…Administrator—your hand?"
The little penguin lifted her hand slightly. Golden light traced along the veins like molten metal. In Bai Ling's eyes, the Originium energy inside her was surging violently—if not for the black mask limiting her output, she'd probably be glowing head to toe already.
"These saplings… they're responding to the Administrator," Bai Ling said.
Perlica glanced back at Tata. With the current conditions, it was better for the little machine to stay put.
"Tata, you stay here."
"Ji-li—" Tata wiggled its body in assent.
Perlica turned back immediately.
"Mr. Bai Ling—can your Originium Arts predict the shockwaves?"
"No problem."
Even as the others surveyed their surroundings, Bai Ling's eyes never left the anchor point.
He could see it clearly—energy congealing inside it, swelling into a dangerous buildup.
The Ore Vein Source Zone's Originium concentration was simply too extreme. The moment the anchor point filled to capacity, a shockwave was born.
And because the energy overflow was so violent, the backlash from the shockwave would rapidly refill the anchor point again.
"…Don't worry, Senpai," Eyjafjalla's soft voice rose beside Bai Ling. "Even if there's a slight margin of error, my Arts can still protect everyone."
She gripped her staff, looking toward the distant anchor point—her eyes steady with resolve.
"Then… I'll leave command to you, Mr. Bai Ling."
The shift of leadership happened so naturally that even Perlica didn't find it strange.
Before anyone had noticed—
As the one who walked ahead first, Bai Ling had already earned their trust.
....
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